Rosneft commences Sea of Okhotsk drilling

JV of Rosneft and Statoil ASA have started drilling the exploration well in the Sea of Okhotsk.

The signal to begin drilling was given by the Rosneft Chairman of the Management Board, Igor Sechin, during the work at the rig Nanhai-9.

"Implementation of the offshore projects in upstream is one of the Company’s most important strategic goals, a contribution to the whole oil and gas industry. Rosneft is the country’s only company that continues the work on new projects offshore in accordance with its license obligations despite the complicated external environment. We are pleased to commence the key stage of project within the scope of the long-term cooperation with our partner – Statoil – the drilling of exploration wells in the Sea of Okhotsk,” Igor Sechin said.

Well Ulberikanskaya-1 will be drilled in Lisiansky license area. The distance from the port of Magadan to the well is about 420 km. The second well of Rosneft and Statoil project will be also drilled during the 2016 season within Magadan-1 section in the Sea of Okhotsk.

Semi-submersible rig Nanhai-9 was delivered by China Oilfield Services Ltd (COSL), which signed a contract for drilling with the joint venture of Rosneft and Statoil in September 2015. The rig was transported through the South China Sea, the East China Sea, the Sea of Japan and the Sea of Okhotsk.

Edited from press release by Angharad Lock

Read the article online at: https://www.oilfieldtechnology.com/offshore-and-subsea/03062016/rosneft-commences-drilling-in-the-sea-of-okhotsk-3448/